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Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER is a beloved comedy (and Christmas) classic James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star in Ernst Lubitsch's magnificent 1940 romantic comedy THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, about two antagonisitic co-workers in a Budapest shop who don’t realize that they are secret lonely hearts pen pals. If this plotline sounds familiar, it’s because it was reworked in 1998’s You’ve Got Mail. But the original is better. Frank Morgan co-stars in the movie, which doubles as a Christmas classic and was also Lubitsch's favorite of all his films. Don't miss it in 35mm on Friday or Saturday.

Lubitsch series concludes with color fantasy/love story HEAVEN CAN WAITLubitsch’s delightful late comedy HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943) stars Don Ameche as a recently deceased dandy and roué who shows up at the gates of Hell and tries to convince the Devil that his sinful life during the Gay Nineties (seen in flashback) qualifies him for eternal damnation. The Video Movie Guide 1998 awarded the film five stars (its highest rating), calling it "the most joyful fantasy-love story ever filmed.” Gene Tierney co-stars in this classic that will be shown on Saturday in a 35mm color print from the Twentieth Century Fox studio archive. By the way, Warren Beatty’s 1978 Heaven Can Wait is not a remake of this film but of the 1941 fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

Man flies to Asia to help distressed friend in noirish THE LAST TIME I SAW MACAOTHE LAST TIME I SAW MACAO is the new film from the adventurous Portuguese director of To Die Like a Man, Joao Pedro Rodrigues. It's an intoxicating blend of film noir, documentary, and personal travelogue set in the former Portuguese colony of Macao (now controlled by China). The movie follows an unseen protagonist who journeys there from Portugal to find an old friend in need of help, and who may have been kidnapped by a local crime syndicate. Adults can see this New York Film Festival selection on Thursday or Saturday. Here's the trailer.

Indie comedy WHITE REINDEER is a new holiday classic -- in its twisted wayA hit at SXSW and numerous underground film festivals, the hilariously dark and twisted new Christmas comedy WHITE REINDEER tells of a female real estate agent in suburban Virginia who finds herself consorting with strippers and swingers after an unexpected tragedy spoils her holiday season. But this is no cynical Bad Santa; it also has a heart worthy of the season. Indiewire calls it "a solemn twist on the holiday movie formula that simultaneously inhabits the genre and turns it inside out...Imagine Home Alone as directed by Todd Solondz." The Village Voice proclaimed it "the best film of the [BAMcinemaFest]…Among the most striking and original American films to emerge in some time." And when it opened in New York last Friday, The A.V. Club wrote: "If nothing else, this is the least festive Christmas movie since Bad Santa, dissecting the absurd belief that the holiday season can somehow magically cure all ills." Joe Swanberg co-stars in this movie that adults can see on Thursday or Saturday. Print this email and present it at the box office and see White Reindeer for only $7 ($6 if you're a Cinematheque member). It's our Deal of the Week! (Limit two discount admissions per print-out) Watch the trailer here.

Give the Cinematheque this seasonBereft of ideas for holiday gifts? How about giving Cinematheque memberships or movie passes to your friends or loved ones? Memberships cost $35 ($20 for seniors 65 & over and for students) and passes can be purchased for $9 apiece in any quantity. Call us at (216) 421-7450 for more information.